Tray for refrigerators



July 21, 1936.

J, S'ISSMAN TRAY FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed March 21, 1930 Patented July 21, i936 2,048,412 TRAY FOR REFRIGERATORS Jesse Sissman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Copeman Laboratories Company, Flint, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 21, 1930, Serial No. 437,701

Claims. (01. 62-1085) This invention relates to trays in general and particularly to trays for refrigerators. More specifically, the invention relates to trays for automatic ice machines of the mechanical or absorption type, whereby ice blocks or ice cubes may be made in the refrigerator.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a self-sustaining, easily washable, substantially flexible ice tray for manufacturing ice blocks or cubes in a refrigerator apparatus.

Another object is to provide a new and novel ice tray made of substantially yieldable or flexible material, which is capable of being selfsupporting when hung in the refrigerating compartment, which permits easy removal of the formed cubes from the tray, and which can be readily and economically manufactured.

Another important object is to provide a substantially flexible or yieldable self-sustaining or supporting tray, which has a dividing partition arranged therein with communicating channels extending through the partition walls, whereby all the compartments can be filled with water by merely pouring water into any one of the compartments.

A further object is to provide a two-piece ice tray which is sanitary, which can be readily cleaned, and which prevents the ice from adhering to the sides of'the tray and the compartments to permit easy removal of the ice cubes.

, Numerous other objects and advantages will appear throughout the progress of the following specification:

- The invention comprises in general a tray por tion having a removable frame insertable within the tray. Apertures are provided in the various division walls to permit communication from one compartment to another compartment, whereby pouring fluid into any one of the compartments will cause all the compartments to be filled. The tray and the frame are preferably made of flexible and yieldable material, such as rubber. The tray has an outwardly extending peripheral flange, which is vulcanized to make it substantially rigid so that the tray is capable'igof being self-supporting and non-collapsible when hung in the refrigerating compart- Instead of making the outwardly'protruding flanges of the tray substantially rigid by vulcanizing orthe like, a flexible wire may be moulded into a rolled over flange to make.

ment.

the tray self-sustaining.

, The accompanying drawing illustrates a se lected embodiment of the invention, and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view partly in section of one form of the improvedtray.

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse sectional view through the tray shown in Fig. 1 having the outwardly extending flanges vulcanized to make .6 them substantially rigid.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the modification of the flange by rolling it around a wire support.

Fig. 4 is an exploded or separated view show- 10 a removable frame for the tray:

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 and 3 thereof, 5 designates a tray generally having a bottom 6, side walls I, and end walls 8. The tray is preferably made of flexible yieldable material, such as rubber, and has an outwardly extending peripheral flange 9, which may be vulcanized as indicated at I0, Fig. 2, for making the flange substantially rigid so that it may be slidably and hangingly supported on the 2 guides ll protruding inwardly from the refrigerator chamber walls I2, Fig. .2. A forwardly extending lip l3 may be formed integral with the flange 9 to provide a handle to facilitate in the insertion or withdrawal of the tray in the refrigerating chamber. A frame 14, Fig. 1, is arranged inside of the tray and comprises a plurality of longitudinal partition walls l5 and cross dividing walls l6 to provide a plurality of separate compartments l'l. These compartments may be of any size or shape desired and in which blocks or ice cubes are formed. Each of the longitudinal walls l5 and division walls I6 is provided with an aperture or cut out portion l8 to effect communication from one compartment to another, so that fluid poured into any one of the compartments will flow into all of the com partm'eiits, causing the fluid to seek its own level; the fluid rising in each compartment, These apertures are relatively small in size and extend 40 through the walls upwardly from the bottom 6 of the tray, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The

provision of the apertures or cut outs l8 also such as by pushing the cubes outwardly from the 55.

bottom. The ice formation connecting the various cubes caused by the apertures i8 is easily broken as it is relatively small. and narrow. In practice, it has been found that the ice formation connecting the various cubes in the compart ments offers no resistance in removing the cubes, as the various division walls of the frame can be flexed, and this flexing readily breaks the formation, permitting the cubes to be easily withdrawn. The material from which the tray and frame are made permits easy withdrawal of the cubes from the compartments without the necessity of first pouring hot water over the tray, as is necessary in the conventional type of metal tray.

Instead of having the flange 9 vulcanized as indicated at i0, Fig. 2, the flange may be rolled as indicated at i9, Fig. 3, and a peripheral spring wire 20 may be moulded therein to make the tray selfsupporting when it is hung in the refrigerating chamber. This wire is springy and permits flexing of the flange for assisting in removing the formed cubes from the various compartments.

In Fig. 4 the tray 5 is provided with a removable frame 2|. This frame is similar in all respects to the frame It with the exception that it is removably arranged in the tray instead of being permanently and integrally fastened therein, as shown in Fig. 1. This latter frame may be provided with an integral bottom 22 to assist in holding the longitudinal walls l5 and the divisional walls It in position, inasmuch as the frame is preferably made of the same flexible material as the frame Hi. The frame 2| is also provided with the apertures it! formed in the longitudinal and divisional walls l5 and I6 respectively. These apertures commence at the top 23 of the bottom connecting member 22, and permit water or other fluid to flow from one compartment to the'other in the same manner as described relative to Fig. 1. The construction shown in Fig. 4 may be preferred over that shown in Fig. 1, inasmuch as the entire tray is removable and can be more readily and easily washed. The-flanges 9 of this tray may be either vulcanized as shown in Fig. 10, or the flanges may be rolled over and have the peripheral wire moulded therein.

The invention provides a sanitary ice tray which may be made of any material desired, but which is preferably made of flexible material, such as rubber. The apertures permit the water to flow from one compartment to another to permit the entire tray to be filled with water or other fluid by merely pouring the water or fluid into any one of the compartments. This construction also permits easy flushing and cleaning of the tray to remove the deposits which occur on the frame, side walls and tray bottom. The strengthening flange permits the tray to be easily handled and allows it to be hung in position. A tray without a substantially rigid but somewhat yieldable supporting peripheral flange is unwieldly and awkward to handle, and when it is filled with liquid cannot be a refrigerator comprising a bottom, side and end walls integral with said bottom, an integral relatively rigid outwardly extending peripheral flange on said tray for hangingly and slidingly supporting the tray in a refrigerator chamber and for 5 preventing collapsing of the tray, a relatively flexible rubber frame removably arranged in said tray and comprising a bottom member, and longitudinal and cross vertical wall members fastened to said bottom member and providing a plurality of 10 compartments in which ice cubes are formed, said wall members being provided with apertures at their bases to provide communicating channels between each adjacent compartment, whereby a fiuid poured into any one of the compartments will flow into the other compartments until the fluid finds its level.

2. A tray for manufacturing ice cubes in refrigerators comprising a bottom, side and end walls integral therewith, and a removable integral frame of flexible yieldable material arranged in the tray, said frame comprising longitudinal and cross wall members providing independent compartments and a flexible wall member carrying said longitudinal and cross wall members, each of said wall members having openings provided therein to provide a communicating passage or channel from one compartment toanother.

3. A tray for manufacturing ice cubes'in' refrigerators comprising a bottom, side and end walls integral therewith, and a removable frame arranged in the tray, said frame comprising a bottom member, and longitudinal and cross wall members fixed to said frame bottom and providing independent compartments, each of said well 85 members and-bottom member having surfaces of rubber and having openings provided therein to provide communication from one compartment to another.

4. The combination of a tray for containing matter to be frozen, a grid unit for said tray formed of flexible material, said grid unit including a flexible substantially horizontal wall and vertical partition walls carried by and extending from said horizontal wall, some of said partition members cooperating with side walls of said tray to form independent compartments, the surfaces of said horizontal wall and partition walls forming said compartments being formed of nonmetallic material to which icedoes not readily adhere whereby when the grid is removed from the tray the part of the compartment formed by the walls of thetray will be open to permit transverse removal of the ice cubes from the grid.

5. The combination of a sharp freezing tray for containing material to be frozen, a. non-metallic integral frame for said tray formed of flexible material, said frame comprising vertically extending walls forming a plurality of independent compartments, and a fiat wall closing one end of said compartments and carrying said vertical. walls, some of said compartments being open at the sides to permit easy transverse removal of ice cubes when said frame is removed from the tray. 6. The combination of a sharp freezing tray 55 for containing material to be frozen, a removable integral frame for said tray comprising vertical flexible walls for defining a plurality of rows of independent compartments within the tray,-.the exposed surfaces of said walls being formed of rubber, and a horizontal wall carrying all of said vertical walls and closing one end of said compartments, the surface of said horizontal wall closing one end of said compartments being formed of rubber, the sides of some of said com-' partments adjacent the edge of the frame being open to permit easy transverse removal 01' ice cubes when said frame is removed from the'ltray.

7. An ice cube grid unit for forming compartments in an ice tray, comprising a horizontal nonmetallic flexible wall provided with flexible nonmetallic partitions projecting thereirom, some of the compartments formed by said partitions being open at the sides to permit oi transverse removal of ice cubes from the grid.

8. An ice cube grid unit for forming compartments in an ice tray, comprising a horizontal flexible wall provided with flexible partitions projecting therefrom, and forming a plurality of rows of ice cubes adapted to be supported on said well as a single base, some of the compartments iormed bysaid partitions being open at the sides to permit of transverse removalof ice cubes from the grid.

9. The combination of a tray for containing material to be frozen, 9, grid unit for said tray including a substantially horizontal wall and flexible ver partition walls carried by, and ex tending from said horizontal wall, some of said partition walls cooperating with the side walls oi said tray to form independent compartments, the surfaces of "said partition walls forming said 7": partments being formed of non-metallic material to which ice does not readily adhere whereby when the grid is removed from the tray the part oi the compartments formed bythe walls of the tray will be open to permit transverse w r; f the ice cubes from the grid.

19. A container for freezing ice cubes, com prising a rubber tray having flexible side walls and a relatively rigid upper frame, and a renew-=- able grid unit having flexible non-metallic vertically extending partition walls some of which cooperate with side walls of the tray to form ice cube fng compartments and a horizontal wall secured to said partition walls and closing the ends of some of said compartments.

JESSE $188. 

